PA commits $30M to wetlands fund

The Port Authority plans to spend $30 million in northern New Jersey over the next decade to preserve wetlands and other coastal property that will help ensure the shoreline's resiliency and prevent property damage from storm surges.

The money will fund the Hudson-Raritan Estuary Resource Program for another 10 years. The program started a decade ago when the Port Authority provided an initial $30 million for the purchase of parkland and to provide greater public access to the region's rivers and bays.

For instance, the program provided money to help the Meadowlands Commission buy the land for River Barge Park along the Hackensack River in Carlstadt, the 90-acre Meadowlark Marsh in Ridgefield and an 11-acre upland and wetland parcel in Rutherford called Murray Hill.

The new money comes out of the Port Authority's recently approved $28 billion, 10-year capital plan.

"New Jersey and the Meadowlands District greatly benefited from the last round of funding," said Marcia Karrow, the Meadowlands Commission's executive director. "River Barge Park is an environmental jewel and important addition to the district that provides increased public access to the Hackensack River for boaters and kayakers."

The program began more than a decade ago after the Port Authority and environmental groups had repeatedly butted heads over the potential environmental impact of an array of Port construction projects. The federal Environmental Protection Agency's harbor estuary program, which periodically brings together officials from New York and New Jersey, along with environmentalists, facilitated the discussions that led to the Port Authority's decision to start the Hudson-Raritan Estuary Resource Program.

"Along with investing in transportation infrastructure and driving economic growth, the Port Authority is committed to improving the quality of life throughout the region," Port Authority Executive Director Pat Foye said in a statement. Through the program, he said, "the agency is delivering on this commitment by creating valuable recreation space and preserving an important wetland habitat."

The program is designed to balance the Port Authority's commercial and port development needs with protecting the coastline, said Greg Remaud, deputy director of the NY/NJ Baykeeper, which has worked with the Port Authority to identify land to protect and find appropriate partners to make the purchase.

The Port Authority money is leveraged by seeking matching funds from other partners, including non-profits and other government agencies.

"The Port Authority does not hold the properties, but it retains deed restrictions on the properties so they are assured of being maintained as parkland or public access points to the rivers," Remaud said.

In its first 10 years, the program has focused more on protecting ecosystems and providing public access to the harbor estuary. The next round of funding will be used to preserve wetlands and floodplains to ensure the shoreline remains resilient in the face of sea level rise and storms.

"The virtues of the program won the day," Remaud said. "We're thrilled this very productive and successful program has been reauthorized and reshaped a bit to meet resiliency needs. The Port Authority didn't have to renew this — they could easily have said, 'Here's a place to cut expenses.' "

The goal now will be to identify wetlands and other shoreline property that can be protected from future development to preserve the marshland's natural ability to absorb storm surge and runoff, protecting developed neighborhoods farther inland, Remaud said.

Actual parcels have not yet been identified to purchase, he said.

"In light of Superstorm Sandy, the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission fully intends to investigate whether there are other properties it may acquire that will both enhance access to the region's waterways and strengthen the district's resiliency to future storm events," Karrow said.

During the past decade, the program protected more than 300 acres through 12 acquisitions in New Jersey. The purchases helped create three new waterfront parks in formerly underserved areas — River Barge Park in Carlstadt, the Hackensack River Waterfront Park in Jersey City, and the Passaic River Waterfront Park in Newark.

River Barge Park, a 5.5 acre marina on Outwater Lane, opened in May 2012 on the site of the former Barge Club restaurant. It features boat ramps, docks, paddling and launch points, a 650-square-foot, open-air educational pavilion and a 2,400-square-foot paddle center.

The Port Authority has designated $30 million to New York through the program. During the last decade, it gave New York $30 million to create new waterfront access along the Harlem River and to protect wetlands in Jamaica Bay. In all, 153 acres were protected in New York.